Poster holder



April Z1, 1959 D'. HOWELL POSTER HOLDER Filed July 26, 1957 United AStates Patent O M POSTER HOLDER David Howell, Royal Oak, Mich., assgnor to Arlington Aluminum Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of "Michigan Application July 26, 1957, Serial No. 674,356

` 4s claims. (cl. 1o- 156) This invention relates to display devices and, in particular, to poster holders.

. One object of this `invention is to provide a poster holder which is quickly and easily opened and closed in order to receive and firmly grip a poster of sheet material, such as paper, the grippingv of the poster being accomplished by pivoted border members which swing into andl y out of engagement with the poster.

in the object immediately preceding, wherein the springs are connected to the border members through a togglelike mechanism which urges the border member toward the poster-mounting panel as the border member approaches the panel, and also urges the border member away from the panel after the border member has swung over an intermediate dead center position toward its open position substantially perpendicular to the poster mounting panel.

Another object is to provide a poster holder of the foregoing character which is especially well adapted for mounting upon a vertical panel, such as a vehicle body panel, building wall or the like, to which it is quickly and easily secured by means of ordinary fasteners and simple tools, principally a screw driver.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a poster holder in its closed position as mounted on a vertical panel, according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the poster holder shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section through one of the border members and its toggle spring mechanism, taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary approximately vertical longitudinal section in a plane approximately at right angles to the section plane of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, but with the border member swung into its open position, ready to receive a poster; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken along the line 6 6 in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, Figure 1 shows a poster holder, generally designated 8, according to one form of the invention as consisting of four elongated border members 10 preferably of extruded aluminum, arranged in a rectangular pattern. Each border member 10 has a rib 12 extending downwardly from the top wall 20 thereof, the edge 14 of the rib 12 being arranged to engage the poster 15, which is of sheet material such as ICC paper, and press it against a mounting panel 16, such as a truck body panel. The rib 12 is spaced away from the inner edge 18 of the border member top wall 20 to provide a ledge under which the fingers of the user can be inserted in order to lift the border member 10, as explained below in connection with the operation of the invention.

Each border member 10 is pivotally mounted upon a series of coaxial pivot pins 22, each of which is carried by the looped lower rearward end 24 of an approximatelyv V-shaped leaf springl 26, preferably of spring steel, the substantially at base arm 28 of which is secured as by fasteners 30 to the mounting panel 16. Each leaf spring 26 4has an upwardly inclined arm 32 disposed at an acute angle to the base arm 28. The upper end of each upwardly-inclined arm 32 is provided with a loop 34 into which fits the crank pin portion 36 (Figure 4) of a link or double-ended crank rod 38, the opposite end portions 40 of which are inserted in slots 42 in the grooved end portions 44 of an internal rib operating projection 46 which is integral with the remainder of the border member 10 and extends inwardly approximately parallel :to the top border wall 20 and substantially perpendicular to the outer or back wal148 thereof, of which it is an integral part. The junction of the back wall 48 and rib 46 contains pivot slots 52 which probably receive the spring loops 24 with the pivot pins 22 inside them (Figures 3 and 6).

rEach of the border members 10 has obliquely-disposed end edges 54 (Figure l) which are inclined at acute angles `of approximately 45 degrees to the remainder of the border'portion 10, such as, for example, at an angle of 45 degrees to the plane of the rear wall 48. By reason of this construction, the four border members 10 lit snugly together at their ends 50 when they are swung inwardly to their closed positions (Figure l).

In the operation of the invention, let it rst be assumed that the border members 10 have been assembled and secured in a rectangular path by the fasteners 30 (Figure 1) with the oblique end edges abutting one another in the closed position of the border members 10. To insert a poster, the operator puts his fingertips beneath the inner edge portion 18 of the top wall 20 of each border member 10 in succession and pulls upon the latter in a direction substantially perpendicular to the panel 16, thereby swinging the border member 10 from its closed position shown in Figures l and 3 to its open position shown in Figure 5. As the border member 10 swings upward, it pivots around its pivot pins 22 within the pivot grooves or slots 52, and at the same time the V-shaped springs 26 act through their arms 32 and cranks 38 to maintain a pressure against the rib 46. As each border member 10 swings upward, each crank arm 37 swings across a dead center position between the closed position of Figure 3 to the open position of Figure 5, thereafter exerting an outward pressure urging the border member 10 into its outer or open position of Figure 5. The border member 10 comes to rest with its back wall 48 engaging the panel 16, urged thereagainst by the springs 26.

The poster 15 is then inserted in the space between the four open border members 10 which are then pushed from their upright positions of Figure 5 perpendicular to the panel 16 to their closed positions of Figure 3. As again each border member 10 swings past the dead center position of the crank arm 37 of each crank 38, the pressure of the V-shaped spring 26 against each crank arm 37 is reversed relatively to the rib 46 as the latter swings through an angle of approximately degrees, nally urging the rib 46 toward the panel 16 when the border member 10 has reached the closed position of Figure 3. The springs 26 continue to impose a closing Patented Apr.' 21, 195.9

3 sforce upon the border members 10, urging their inner edges 14 of their ribs 12 and the poster 15 beneath them into irm engagement with the panel 16.

What I claim is:

l. A poster holder for a mounting panel comprising a plurality of elongated border members adapted to be secured to the mounting panel in yan open-centered arrangement, each border member including an elongated troughshaped bar having a pivot-receiving portion near the outer edge of said arrangement, a pivot element adapted to be mounted on said mounting panel and pivotally engaging said pivot-receiving portion, and a resiliently-pressed device adapted to be mounted on said mounting panel and yieldingly engaging and urging said bar toward the plane of the mounting panel, said bar having an operating projection extending from said pivot-receiving portion toward the inner edge of said bar and said resiliently-pressed device operatively engaging said projection for swinging said bar around said pivot element, said resiliently-pressed device including a spring adapted to be secured to the mounting panel and a link operatively connecting said spring to said projection.

2. A poster holder, according to claim 1, wherein said spring is of bent shape with a first arm adapted to be secured to the mounting panel and asecond arm disposed angularly thereto with its outer end connected to said projection.

3. A poster holder according to claim l, lwherein said link is pivotally connected at one end to said spring and at another -end to said projection.

4. .A poster holder, according to claim 3, wherein said link comprises a crank.

5. A poster holder, according to claim l, wherein said projection, said link and said spring are disposed in relative positions swinging ,past a dead center position between the closed and open positions of said bar.

6. A poster holder for a mounting panel comprising a `plurality of elongated border members adapted to .be secured to the mounting panel in an open-centered arrangement, each border member including an elongated troughshaped bar having a pivot-receiving portion near the outer edge of said arrangement, a pivot element adapted to be mounted on said mounting panel and pivotally engaging said pivot-receiving portion, and a resiliently-pressed device adapted to be mounted on said mounting panel and yieldingly engaging and urging said bar toward the plane of the mounting panel, said bar having a top 'wall and an outer wall disposed approximately perpendicular to said top Wall and adapted to swing from a closed position substantially perpendicular to the .mounting panel to an open position substantially parallel thereto in swing-limiting engagement with the mounting panel at the end of the outward-swinging movement of said bar.

7. A poster holder, according to claim l, wherein said spring 4is yconnected to said pivot element at a location remote from its connection to said link.

8. A poster holder, according to claim 6, wherein :said bar has a top wall and an inner wall extending from said top wall substantially to the plane of the mounting panel inthe closed posterengaging position `of said bar, the junction of said inner wall with said top wall being spaced away from the inner edge of said bar whereby to provide a tinger-receiving recess beneath the inner edge portion of said top wall.

Gallup Jan. 6, i920 Thomas Feb. `8, 1949 

